Dr. Elda E. Anderson, born in 1899 in Wisconsin, was a founder of the field of health physics. She earned a graduate degree in physics in the early 1920s, and for fifteen years was a faculty member in the physical sciences, focusing on the instruction of women. She completed her doctoral research in physics in 1941, and during World War II she was a physicist on the Manhattan Project.

She pioneered research in the protection of people from radiation, and after an additional period of time in teaching, she became the head of U. S. radiation protection training programs. She trained the first generation of specialists and scientists in the U.S. and abroad in health physics and co-founded the Health Physics Society, the principal U.S. professional organization for the radiation health sciences.

She was also an avid outdoors woman and maintained her perspective and sense of humor throughout personal and professional challenges. Her unique character and her scientific abilities were not fully appreciated during her lifetime, but it is hoped that this memorial will demonstrate that her life and work are appreciated now. 9/26/95